CITY council voted overwhelmingly Thursday in favour of a ban on smoking tobacco and marijuana around restaurant patios. Two councillors - Ross Eadie (Mynarski) and Jason Schreyer (Elmwood-East Kildonan) - voted against the bylaw. Eadie said a ban would further stigmatize smokers. Smoking in any form - cigarettes, cigars, pipes, e-cigarettes, water pipes, hookahs or other devices - won't be permitted on outdoor patios where food and drink are served. Council made an exception for smoking within Indigenous-led ceremonies. The bylaw will come into effect on April 1, though the amount of the fine is not yet clear. [continues 236 words]
Dana Larsen and his group on tour giving out seeds The man who's helped ship millions of cannabis seeds across the country for the last couple years is visiting Winnipeg Monday to drop off tens of thousands more. B.C.-based cannabis advocate Dana Larsen, 45, is touring cross-country with his group Overgrow Canada, which aims to hand out five million cannabis seeds this year. In 2016, they spread 2.5 million seeds, encouraging Canadians to plant cannabis in public places like parks to "normalize the cultivation" of the plant, Larsen said in an interview Monday. [continues 257 words]
As news leaked Sunday of the federal government's plans to table legislation legalizing marijuana by next summer, Eddy Barahona was emerging from a night spent in jail after being arrested and charged with pot-related offences. "I don't understand how we can arrest people for practising with medicine or why we're still putting people in jail for something that's going to be legalized in a matter of time," he said in an interview Monday. Barahona was rubbing his eyes, which still stung from being pepper-sprayed over the weekend, during an interview Monday at Vapes Off Main. [continues 370 words]
"SPECIAL" brownies could soon be the running special at a Winnipeg bakery near you. After a unanimous Supreme Court decision Thursday ruled in favour of legalizing the production of edible medical marijuana products such as pastries, cooking oils and teas, Winnipeg tokers celebrated with cannabis-infused beverages and pastries at Vapes Off Main on Albert Street. The 18-plus smoking lounge licensed for medical marijuana users has high hopes for new programming possibilities, thanks to the new rules. It will start selling baked goods and provide cooking classes now that the grey area surrounding edibles is gone. [continues 461 words]
